Military Ball
by ZaKai
Summary: The fuhrer decides it would be good for Ed to attend the military ball, but will it be good for everyone else? :Gen fic with very light Royai theme, Humor, New Year's Eve fic: COMPLETE
1. New Year's Eve

**Title:** Military Ball  
**Fandom:** Fullmetal Alchemist  
**Rating:** PG13  
**Pairings:** Light Royai theme, but the story doesn't focus on them and is more of a 'Gen' fic than a 'Het' fic.  
**Reference:** Manga  
**Type:** Gen, light het, humor, new years fic  
**Warnings:** language  
**Summary:** The fuhrer decides it would be good for Ed to attend the military ball, but will it be good for everyone else?

**Edit:** As mentioned above, I reference the manga in this fic. If you've only seen the first anime and not read the manga or seen Brotherhood, then you're going to be confused as to why Wrath is the Fuhrer and not Pride. Manga/Brotherhood Fuhrer is Wrath; First anime Fuhrer is pride.

**-**

**Military Ball**

**1/3**

**New Year's Eve**

**-**

Ed pulled uncomfortably on his tie and shifted nervously, making the snow beneath his feet crunch. He didn't have a car, so he was stuck walking in this miserable weather, to attend a military function he had to go to, while he could be researching their newest lead.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Ed muttered darkly to himself as he began walking again. He'd never been required to attend this yearly ball thing before. Of course, that was probably because people thought that having a twelve-year-old there might cause some sort of disturbance. But he was sixteen now, and for some reason the fuhrer had decided that he was old enough to attend, and that he was missing out on learning proper etiquette and all that bullshit.

Ed had tried to get out of going, but had agreed to attend when Colonel Mustang mentioned there would be a lot of delicious food available. Free food was a huge plus in his book, especially when it was _good_ free food.

He turned the corner and had a view of the large building where the ball was taking place. It was an old building, but lavishly designed and decorated, and was normally used for such fine gatherings as was to be held tonight.

_Such a waste,_ Ed thought, scratching irritably at his suit jacket. The extravagance wasn't needed, in his opinion. The money being spent on this could go to other things that would be of more worth; like feeding the poor, for example, or funding scientific projects dedicated to bettering mankind. Hell just dividing up the cost and giving it out as a year end bonus to everyone would be better.

As he got closer, Ed could see people getting out of their cars and valets getting in said cars to park them. Women were elegantly clad in colorful and extravagant dresses, and the men all looked almost identical in their black suits, white shirts, and black ties. The dress for the men had been set by the fuhrer; and to Ed, it seemed as if they were still in uniform, only they were camouflaged for some new mission—which was to fool their female counterparts, and society as a whole, into thinking they were civil human beings.

Ed scowled and pulled at his own black tie. He liked to look different, and being dressed just like everyone else made him feel a little uneasy. Besides, suits were uncomfortable, and not very durable, especially in a fight.

He scanned the crowd outside the entrance to see if he knew anyone. There were a few faces that looked somewhat familiar, but they were people he'd seen in the cafeteria or in passing and he really didn't know them.

Suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder, then, "Chief! You made it!" Ed turned to see Lieutenant Havoc standing behind him with a cheesy grin and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.

"Of course," Ed replied. "I _had_ to come."

Havoc laughed and patted his back before starting up the stairs toward the entrance. "I'm sure you've lived through worse." Ed rolled his eyes and quickly caught up to Havoc to walk beside him.

"Is there anything specific I have to do, or can I just stand by the food all night?" Ed asked, scratching at his suit again.

"Invitations, gentlemen," a man standing by the door said in a stiffly polite tone.

Havoc produced his immediately, while Ed scrambled a bit to find where he'd stuffed his. He glanced over to the other doorkeeper and noticed that the women he was talking to had an elegant-looking booklet attached to a red rope that was tied nicely around her wrist. The other doorkeeper took a look at the card and let her through.

Ed grunted as he found his invitation and produced the crumpled paper for the doorman to see. The doorkeeper didn't seem too impressed by his obvious lack of propriety, but politely invited them both inside with a request that they both enjoy themselves.

As they walked into the large foyer, Ed could hear the sounds of many people talking and music from the ballroom beyond. He stuffed the paper back in his pocket before pulling off his coat and giving it to one of the men at the coat check station.

Ed looked back at Havoc and asked, "How come the women have their invitations tied around their wrists?"

Havoc, who had been looking around, glanced down at him and smiled. "They're not only invitations, but they're also dance cards." (1)

"Dance cards?" Ed asked, feeling a little confused.

"If you want to dance with a specific woman, you ask her if she can write you in on her dance card. If it's already full, she'll tell you so, but if not, then she can put you in for a specific dance slot." Havoc seemed quite enamored by the idea. Ed thought it just seemed like a good excuse for women to not dance with you. After all, if they didn't like you, all they'd have to do is say that their card was full.

"But you have to be careful," Havoc went on. "The color of the cord around their wrists tells you a lot." He pointed to an older woman who had a golden colored cord. "She's married and is not open to dances from other men. You just don't ask them."

Havoc pointed to a woman with a silver cord. "She's either married or engaged, but is okay with being asked to dance as long as it is by someone she knows. Usually friends, or relatives." He looked around, then motioned toward a woman with a red cord. "She's unmarried and looking. Their cards tend to fill up fast. Aaaaaand..." He paused while he sought what he wanted, then said with a nod toward another woman with a blue cord, "She's unmarried and not looking, but open to dance invitations, and... well, I can't see one right now, but if the cord is green that means they're unmarried and they don't want to be asked to dance."

Ed stared around at the women in the large foyer and felt a little overwhelmed by the sea of colored cords. What a pain! "Is there anything else I should know," Ed asked.

Havoc nodded. "The punch in the smooth, crystal bowls have alcohol, so you'll want to stick to the jaded crystal bowls. Also, avoid the drinks the servers carry around. It's wine and champagne."

Ed nodded as he tried to remember everything. "And?"

"No swearing, and be polite to everyone. It doesn't matter if you're mortal enemies; you have to treat everyone with civility here." Ed moved through the crowd, frowning deeply. He was _not_ thrilled with being forced to be nice to people he didn't like.

When they entered the ballroom, Ed's eyes widened as he took in the huge area. There was a band playing music at one end of the room, and a dance floor next to that. At the other end of the ballroom, there were long tables at each side of the room filled with the most delicious looking food Ed had ever seen. There were smaller round tables near the long food tables where people were sitting and standing as they socialized and ate.

"Is there anything else I have to remember?" Ed asked, his mouth watering at the sight of the food.

Havoc looked down at him thoughtfully, then suddenly grinned. "You have to ask at least three women to dance."

* * *

Roy Mustang took a sip of his champagne and glanced around the enormous ballroom. He loved these end of the year ballroom parties. He got a chance to dance with numerous women, drink fine wine and champagne, and socialize with the higher ranks—something that was useful in making connections he could use later.

He tapped his foot to the beat the band was setting, then stopped when he heard a loud, "_WHAT_?!" shouted across the ballroom. The noise in the room quieted considerably and people looked over to the entrance where the yell had originated.

Roy languidly took another sip before glancing over to the entrance. It wasn't necessary for him to look. He knew who was making the ruckus, and when his eyes fixed on his sixteen-year-old subordinate, Roy's lips curled up into a small smile at the fact that he was right. He'd heard the kid shout and yell far too many times to not know.

Ed glanced around and flushed darkly at the stares he was getting, then turned to Lieutenant Havoc and began speaking quickly. Havoc made a shrugging gesture as if to indicate he couldn't do anything about what Ed was saying.

The crowd finally returned to its normal volume, but Roy still watched the two. Ed had gone a little pale and was now looking at the crowd with a look of unmistakable terror. Roy took another sip and made a mental note to ask Havoc later what this was all about.

"He knows how to make a scene, doesn't he?" a smooth female voice said to his right. Roy turned his head and saw that Riza Hawkeye had come up beside him without him noticing her. He took a moment to appreciate the sight before him. She was wearing a long golden-colored dress. It was simple in its design, yet elegant, and it showed her curves in a most delicious manner. The neckline was scooped, yet not so far that he could see her cleavage—a fact that disappointed him a little—and the sleeves were long and became wider at her wrists so that they flowed gracefully when she moved her arms.

Her hair was clipped up, but in a style that allowed her hair to flow stylishly down her neck. Her lips and cheeks held a hint of color—something Roy rarely got to see on her—and, most importantly, the color of the cord on her dance card was blue this year, not green. He'd never known her to choose any other color than green, so this pleased him to no end and he was determined to ask for a slot on her card as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

"Hopefully, that will be the biggest scene he makes," Roy said wryly. He glanced back to the entrance and saw that both Havoc and Ed had moved on. "I personally think that eighteen would be a better age to begin coming to this type of a function, but the fuhrer insisted." Though, if Roy had his way, Ed wouldn't start coming to military balls until he was thirty, just to be sure he could act like an adult.

A server carrying wine and champagne passed by them and Riza motioned to him before relieving him of one of his champagne glasses. She thanked him, took a sip, then turned to Roy. "I think this will be good for Edward."

"That may be so," Roy said smoothly with a smile. "But will it be good for the rest of us?" She gave him a look that seemed to tell him to be patient and his smile widened. The mood between them was good and he thought now would be the perfect time to ask for a spot on her dance card.

He opened his mouth, but was cut off by Maes Hughes's boisterous greeting. "Roy! Riza!" Roy turned and worked to keep his smile the same given that he was not exactly pleased at Maes's timing. He stepped forward and shook Maes's hand.

"Maes," he greeted, then turned to Maes's wife and gently took her hand in his and said, "Gracia" with a small nod of his head.

She was wearing a cream colored dress with a neckline cut low enough that Roy could just see the beginning of her cleavage. He refrained from staring, however, given that Maes would not be too pleased. He took note of the golden cord around her wrist as a matter of habit.

The four of them engaged in pleasantries for a moment before Gracia and Riza moved off to talk. Maes stood closer and grinned. "I see that Riza has a blue cord this year."

"Really? I hadn't noticed," Roy said dryly.

"You should ask her to dance," Maes said, nudging him a little.

Roy gave his friend a doleful look and said, "I'll keep that in mind."

Maes's grin widened and he said playfully, "You like her. You know you do."

Roy took a drink, then said evenly, "She's my subordinate." He wasn't about to confide his feelings for Riza Hawkeye just yet, especially not to Maes. If he did, his friend would goad him to no end, which could become annoying and troublesome. Not only that, but he didn't want to face the humiliation if it didn't work out.

* * *

Maes glanced over at his wife, then at Riza. He was of the personal opinion that Riza Hawkeye would make a great wife for Roy, _but_ he'd been reminded several times by Gracia that it was none of his business. If Riza wanted to start dating then she would, and if Roy wanted to settle down and find a wife, then he would.

It wasn't that he didn't believe the two of them were capable of taking care of themselves where love was concerned, but he just _knew_ the two of them would be perfect for each other and sometimes people needed a little... push... in the right direction.

He grinned. Maybe if they saw how cute his daughter was they'd want one of their own. Turning to Roy, Maes said, "You want to see some pi—"

"No," Roy said quickly.

Maes frowned. "You didn't even let me finish."

"I didn't need to."

Okay, so maybe that wasn't the right approach. He'd think of something. Glancing around, Maes smiled brightly when he saw who was helping himself to the food at one of the far serving tables.

"Is that Ed?" he asked in delight.

"Unfortunately," Roy said flatly, then glanced at his watch and said, "I have a dance. I'll talk to you later."

Maes watched Roy wander off, then turned and headed toward Ed. It was sort of cute to see the kid dressed in a suit and tie. His normally braded hair was gathered at the nape of his neck by a black cord, and the white gloves he was wearing looked very fashionable with his attire. His only regret was that he didn't have a camera, as he was unsure if he'd ever get a chance to see Ed dressed this way in the future.

"Ed!" Maes said boisterously when he was close enough. The boy turned while popping a shrimp in his mouth.

"Hughes!" Ed said around the food.

"You enjoying the party?"

"No... It's fuc—" He stopped, then said simply, "It's boring."

Maes grinned, amused to see Ed trying to moderate his language. "Do they have anything good this year?" he asked, sampling one of the small, bite-sized cakes.

"Hell yeah!" Ed said, then cringed. "I mean, yes, they do..."

Maes nodded. The food was always good at these parties and he usually tried to sneak a bit of it out for later. Gracia had caught him once and he'd had to sit through her going on about how it was improper and embarrassing. He still did it though. They were just going to throw the leftovers away, so why not?

"Do I really have to ask at least three women to dance?" Ed asked suddenly.

Maes blinked in surprise. "Where did you hear that?"

"Havoc," Ed replied. "He was telling me about this whole ball thing and said I have to ask at least three women to dance."

Maes schooled his features so that he didn't start laughing. Trust Havoc to play a joke like that on Ed. Though... now that he thought about it, the idea wasn't a bad one. It would actually get the kid to do something other than haunt the serving tables.

"I'm sorry, but unless you're married, it really is mandatory," Maes lied easily. The dismayed look on Ed's face was so comical that Maes had to turn and pretend he was looking around so that his smile wasn't too obvious. He caught sight of Gracia and waved her over. "I have a wonderful idea," he said. "Gracia, my dear, how would you feel about taking Ed out on the dance floor for a trial dance?"

She looked a little surprised, but smiled when she looked at Ed and said, "I'd love to."

"But... you have a gold cord," Ed pointed out, then looked at Maes. "Is it alright?"

Maes nodded and looked at Gracia when she said, "Well, that's for everyone else, but I'll make an exception for you."

Ed looked pleased and a little relieved at this, then suddenly seemed at a loss again. Leaning over, Maes whispered, "Offer her your arm, like this." He showed Ed what to do, then added, "And be sure to compliment her on her dress. Women like that."

Nodding, Ed walked over to Gracia and offered his arm to her. She looked at Maes, smiled, then threaded her arm through Ed's and they started walking toward the dance floor.

* * *

Envy watched from behind a curtain as their small sacrifice stepped out onto the dance floor with some woman. He sighed, then turned and looked to where Lust was watching the crowd from another slit in the curtain.

"This is ridiculously boring," Envy said. "I don't see why we have to be here."

"Because we were told to," Lust said, unperturbed.

"It still seems like a waste—" He broke off when Lust put her hand up.

"I'm supposed to watch from afar, Wrath is supposed to mingle as the host of this party, and you are supposed to be making some sort of contact with our sacrifice and possible sacrificial candidate. Or have you forgotten?"

With a resigned look on his face, Envy changed his form to that of a lovely young woman with pale, creamy skin, and green eyes who could be anywhere from sixteen to twenty-one years old. His long black hair was soft and full now, with wide curls and ribbons. The dress he wore was a light-green dress that was bordered in grey and seemed to shimmer softly in the light.

"How do I look?" he asked, admiring himself in a mirror.

"Lovely," Lust said in a flat, businesslike tone. "Now get out there." He gave a mocking curtsey, then headed out for the party.

* * *

**1.** How I'll be using the dance cards in this story is not historically accurate. while I did use some history for the idea, some of what will be indicated is purely fictional.

Originally I'd only planned for this to be a oneshot, but it got so long that I decided to split it up into three chapters. The last of which will be posted on New Year's Eve (which was when I'd originally planned on posting the whole thing.

Don't expect deep plot with this. It's more for some light hearted fun. I hope you enjoy.

—

**Comments are always appreciated.**


	2. Mere Formalities

**A/N:** I've been asked by a few people to clarify what I mean by 'Gen with Royai hints', so here we go. This story is basically gen fic. It has a _very_ light Royai dotting. However, this fic is _not_ a Royai fic. That doesn't mean that Royai fans won't enjoy this story, but the focus isn't on them. There just happens to be some interest there for each other on both their parts.

**-**

**Military Ball**

**2/3**

**Mere Formalities**

**-  
**Breda filled his plate with as much food as he could muster. The night was still young and this was only his third time at the refreshment table. As he moved down the line he put one appetizer on his plate, then popped one in his mouth, then put one on his plate and popped one in his mouth.

"Ever think about leaving some for the rest of the party?" Havoc said as he stepped up to the table.

"First come, first serve," Breda said with a grin. They both knew that the chances of this party running out of refreshments was zero to zero.

Havoc gave an amused snort, then sighed and looked back at the sea of people. "Why can't I get any dances?" he complained.

"Probably because they see the needy look in your eyes. Women see that and they run the other way as fast as they can," Breda said, then popped a cracker with some sort of meat on it in his mouth. "Hell, we're lucky there hasn't been a stampede of women rushing to leave the party now that you're here."

"If you're so knowledgeable, then why aren't you out there dancing," Havoc asked grumpily.

"I'm here for the food, not the women," Breda said, swallowing the cracker morsel, then setting his plate down near the punch bowls and helping himself to some of the liquid from one of the jaded crystal bowls.

"You stop drinking or something?" Havoc asked. Breda glanced at him with a frown.

"No..."

Havoc frowned. "Isn't it the smooth bowls for alcohol and jaded for the punch without?"

Breda rolled his eyes. "No, it's jaded for alcohol and smooth for the plain stuff. We go over this _every_ year. You can remember because the smooth bowl is plain, like the punch inside." He paused, then said, "Next year I'm not going to bother reminding you."

Havoc's frown deepened. "Are you sure?"

Breda took a deep drink from his glass, then nodded. "Absolutely positive."

A look that clearly said, 'oh shit' passed over Havoc's face before he started looking around the room. "Eh... maybe I should find Ed.

Breda laughed and said, "He's out dancing."

"Are you kidding?" Havoc said in disbelief.

"Nope. He's out with Gracia Hughes." Breda had seen the whole exchange between Ed, Maes Hughes, and his wife, and he thought it was really good of Mrs. Hughes to take Ed out on the dance floor for a dance.

"Oh, well, that doesn't count," Havoc said. "She's already married."

Breda glanced at his co-worker and grinned widely. "You gonna let Ed show you up?"

Havoc folded his arms and gave a disgruntled look. "Like I said, it doesn't count."

Downing the rest of what was in his glass, and filling it up again, Breda said, "A dance with a married lady is better than _no_ dances." And then an idea came to him and he said, "You could always ask Lieutenant Hawkeye."

"Hawkeye?" Havoc said in disbelief.

"Yeah, why not. She's wearing a blue cord this year, and I'm sure she'd grace you with a pity dance."

"Don't be ridiculous," Havoc said in a slight pout.

Breda chuckled as he picked up his plate and said, "If you can't even get a pity dance, then there's probably no hope for you." He glanced around for somewhere to sit, then said, "I'm goin' over there. You wanna come?"

"No thanks," Havoc said, still in that same pout.

* * *

Jean watched Breda go, feeling annoyed, but also some hope. Maybe he _would_ ask Riza Hawkeye for a dance. Not with any romantic interest, but more of a dance between friends. He didn't want to leave here tonight not having danced with anyone at all. Jean looked around until he saw her, then started in her direction feeling determined.

* * *

Roy thanked his dance partner with a small bow and a smile that made the young woman blush before turning and heading off the dance floor. He glanced around, taking note of any newcomers that were important. None of them happened to be anyone he needed or wanted to talk to right away, so he decided to see if Riza might be available to talk to so that he could get a spot on her dance card.

He saw several of his subordinates in the crowd, saw Gracia Hughes being led off the dance floor by Edward Elric, saw Hughes grinning in amusement at them. Roy didn't miss the generals he tried to avoid, or the civilian workers like the young lady who watched over the phones or that bookworm Hughes had hired.

Finally, Roy saw Riza and started toward her. She was alone right now and this would be the perfect time. As he stepped up to her, she said, "Enjoy your dance?"

"Of course," he replied back. "I always enjoy my dances."

Riza raised an eyebrow. "Always?"

To that, Roy chuckled and said, "Always... when they're for pleasure. Most of the time when they're for business." She nodded, accepting that, then was about to say more when they were interrupted.

"Hey, boss," Havoc said, stepping up to them. He turned to Riza and smiled, "Good evening, Lieutenant Hawkeye. You look very lovely tonight."

Roy watched as she looked a little surprised by the complement, then pleased. "Thank you. I think you look rather charming yourself."

"Charming enough to have a dance with me?" Havoc asked lightly. Again there was that surprised look, before she smiled and nodded toward the dance floor. The band was just getting ready to start the next song.

"Would you like to dance now?"

Now it was Havoc's turn to look surprised before he grinned broadly and held out his arm for her to take. "I would be _delighted_!" he said brightly.

Riza glanced at Roy and politely excused herself before letting Havoc lead her out to the dance floor. He stared at them, feeling side blinded. How had that happened? And so fast too? He felt a little frustrated and disappointed at the same time, but he reminded himself that the night was still young and she would be around for another couple of hours.

"Roy Mustang, m'boy," came a greeting to his right. Roy turned his attention away from the dance floor and saw General Grumman walking toward him, hand extended for Roy to take.

"General Grumman," Roy said, shaking the general's hand. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Of course I made it!" the general said good-naturedly. "Central's year end ball is the best in all of Amestris, and well worth the trip."

Roy nodded at that. Every major city had a year end ball for the personnel stationed there, but Central's was by far the biggest and most extravagant. The year end ball was the only ball where rank had no bearing on whether or not an invitation was issued, so it was always the largest ball of the year.

"I hope you'll be staying in Central long enough to let me take you to dinner, or at least for a game of chess," Roy said courteously. He liked General Grumman a lot, but he was more interested in keeping in the good graces of a high ranking officer than in spending time with the old man for the pleasure of his company.

"Absolutely," Grumman said, glancing idly around. Suddenly his eyebrows lifted and he said cheerfully, "And there're the Armstrong siblings."

Roy looked over to see Major Alex Armstrong accompanying his older—and much shorter—sister, General Olivia Armstrong. General Armstrong's dress was long enough to almost touch the floor, and her sleeves were also long too. The neck was high, hiding what Roy was sure to be a very fine bosom. The dress was black with slashes of deep red. Both the cut and the colors added to her already dominating presence, giving her a powerful look that very few women could copy. Yet, despite all of that, she still looked incredibly sexy and several unsuspecting men were already checking her out. Those who knew of her personality were giving her furtive glances, but not brave enough to be caught staring outright.

"I hadn't heard General Armstrong was visiting from Briggs," Roy said, tearing his eyes from her and looking back at Grumman. Actually he'd known for a couple of weeks that Olivia Armstrong was planning to come to Central, but there was no need to let Grumman know that.

"I hadn't heard either," Grumman said, then added, "Oh, there's General Farson. Excuse me; I have some business I need to discuss with him." And with that, the old man was gone; though Roy didn't mind. He was already looking back at Olivia Armstrong. Roy had some business of his own to take care of.

He was about to start wandering over in her direction, but a young woman in her early twenties with black hair and a pale green dress walked by. She glanced at him shyly with wide dark-green eyes, then gave him a smile that was flirtatious, but still demure enough as to not be inappropriate. He tried to keep his gaze on her eyes instead of on the ample breasts the girl's very low neckline was displaying.

Roy watched her eye him with interest, and couldn't help feeling pleased by the attention. While he would never have a serious relationship with someone so young, but he wasn't at all opposed to being admired by someone of that age and some light flirtation could be enjoyable as well.

Roy glanced in Olivia Armstrong's direction again, saw that she was currently preoccupied, and decided to go make some conversation with the black-haired beauty who so obviously fancied him.

* * *

Sheska watched the people with vague interest. It had only been through a sheer force of will that she'd not brought a book with her. She had never been to something like this before and had worried that it would have been inappropriate to bring a book. Now that she was here, Sheska wished she'd brought something to stave off the boredom.

Finishing the last piece of food on her plate, Sheska pulled lightly on the red cord around her wrist. So far, no one had asked her to dance at all, which she didn't find very surprising. For some reason she just wasn't noticed by men, and usually she was okay with that, but tonight, with all the dancing and festivities, she felt a little left out.

Sheska glanced up from the cord on her wrist and looked around, contemplating going home, but deciding to at least greet the people she knew first. She caught glimpses of a few people she knew on the dance floor. She saw Colonel Mustang flirting with a girl who looked at least ten years younger than him, if not a little more, and the girl was flirting shamelessly back with him. There were a few people she knew by face, but not enough to approach them, and then...

Her lips pulled up in an involuntary smile when she saw Maes Hughes, his wife, and Ed Elric talking not far from the dance floor. Deciding she'd go and talk to them before leaving, Sheska stood up and started toward them.

* * *

"You were a wonderful dance partner," Gracia said with a smile.

Ed smiled back, feeling extremely pleased by her praise, even though he hadn't felt he'd done very well. He _had_ improved during the dance though, and she had shown him what he should and shouldn't do when dancing with a lady.

"A suave man will take the lady's hand, tell her how wonderful it was to dance with her, and then kiss her hand lightly," Hughes said with a grin.

Feeling warmth flood into his face, Ed took Gracia's hand. "That was really fun," Ed said, then shook his head. That sounded really horrible. "I mean," he corrected, then looked at Hughes who smiled broader, and took his wife's hand from Ed's to show him how it was done.

"This moment will last forever in my mind and heart and I will remember it until my dying breath," Hughes said breathily, then gently kissed Gracia's hand.

She laughed and shook her head before looking at Ed. "Simply telling the lady that it was a pleasure to dance with her will be enough."

Ed nodded, glared a little at Hughes, then took Gracia's hand. "It was a pleasure to dance with you," he said, then lightly touched his lips to her hand.

"For me as well," she returned.

"If you really want to learn how to speak with the ladies, you should talk with Roy," Hughes said.

"That bastard?" Ed said in disgust. "No thanks. I'd rather—" He stopped, realizing what he'd just said, then decided it was too late to take back the cussword. Instead he decided to change the subject and said, "I'm going to go get a drink."

Without another word, Ed hurrying over to the refreshment table, grabbed a glass, and looked at the punch bowls. Havoc had said the punch in the smooth bowl had alcohol in it, so Ed filled his glass with the punch from the jaded bowl, downed it quickly, then filled it up again before drinking all of that as well. He licked his lips, thinking that the punch was pretty good before deciding to have a third serving of it.

Putting his glass down, Ed picked out a few things to snack on, then stared out over the crowd of people. He was starting to feel pretty good, and decided this dancing thing wasn't that big of a deal. It was as if he'd drunk liquid confidence instead of punch and he was ready for another try. His eyes returned to the Hugheses and saw that Sheska was talking with them now. She was a few years older than him, and not someone he ever would have thought of as a dance partner before, but Ed suddenly decided she would do fine for his second dance of the night.

* * *

Maes listened as Gracia and Sheska talked, idly considering another pass by the refreshment table, when Ed returned with a small smile on his face. There was something a little... off... about him, but Maes couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Looking at Sheska, Ed waited for a break in the conversation, then said, "Hey, Sheska!"

"Hi, Ed," she said cheerfully. "How are you?"

"Great!" Ed said pleasantly. "_Really_ good. You wanna dance?"

Sheska blinked, looking as surprised as Maes felt. Was this the same Ed who had been so nervous and embarrassed about dancing just a little while ago? Then he felt a rush of smugness. His wife must have boosted Ed's confidence in himself. Maes grinned at Gracia, thinking he had the most amazing wife in the world.

"Dance? Me?" Sheska asked in surprise.

"Yeah! They're starting a new dance right now. How 'bout it?"

"Sure," she said, sounding excited now. Maes watched as Ed boldly took her arm and led her to the dance floor as the new dance started.

"Well, that was unexpected," Gracia said, sounding pleased. Maes was about to say something when he was interrupted by Jean Havoc.

"I thought I saw Ed over here just a moment ago. Do you know where he went?" Maes grinned and nodded toward where the next dance was already starting. Havoc sighed and shook his head. "If you talk to him before I do, will you tell him..." Havoc began, then trailed off. "On second thought, would you just tell him to come find me after he's done?"

* * *

Jean thanked Hughes and wandered off. He could have just told them to tell Ed about the punch, but that would mean that one more person would know that he'd mixed up the bowls again and that idea did not appeal to him at all. Seeing Breda and Falman sitting at one of the tables, Jean decided to join them and sat down.

"Did you do it?" Breda asked.

"I did," Jean said proudly. He'd been surprised that Lieutenant Hawkeye had accepted so easily, but it had been a good dance, and maybe if he was lucky he'd get the chance to dance with her again sometime. Not that he was thinking anything would develop between them, but if it did... Jean smiled to himself. Riza Hawkeye was an attractive woman. He wouldn't complain if he ended up with her.

"It's not fair," Denny Brosh said gloomily, breaking Jean out of his thoughts. Denny grabbed one of the chairs and plopped heavily down onto it. "Some guys have all the luck with the ladies."

Jean glanced over at him and said, "I know what you mean. What happened this time?"

Brosh scowled slightly and pointed toward the dance floor. "Look at that hot babe Colonel Mustang is dancing with. She's closer to _my_ age than his. Why can't _I_ get some good looking girl like that?"

"I thought you liked Lieutenant Ross," Falman commented.

"I _do_, but that's not the point."

"Exactly!" Jean said with a nod. "He needs to stop hogging all the women."

"Who's hogging all the women?" another voice said, and Jean glanced over to see Kain Fuery sitting down at their table.

"The colonel," both Jean and Brosh said together.

"Huh... really?" Fuery looked over to the dance floor and said, "Looks like he's just with one girl right now."

"You know what I mean," Jean muttered. "The girls totally love him. I don't see why," he complained.

Breda swallowed what had been in his mouth, then grabbed a carrot stick and pointed it at Jean. "Fuery has a point. It's not like you can't just ask that girl to dance after he's done, if you really want." Breda took a bite off the carrot stick as if to punctuate what he'd just said.

"Yeah... maybe," Jean muttered, watching them. Leave it to Breda to make some sense. Still, it made Jean feel a little better to complain a little bit. Turning, Jean watched the two dance until the song ended.

Mustang and the girl stepped off the dance floor. She smiled up at him and lightly touched his arm, then said something else. In response, Mustang looked a little surprised, but when she said something again, he grinned, nodded, then after glancing around followed her out of the dancehall and out into the gardens.

"On second thought," Breda said. "You might get a dance quicker if you find someone else."

"He's one lucky dog," Brosh muttered, then sat up straight, seeming a little more alert. "There's Lieutenant Ross... And she's wearing a red cord." He fussed with his suit for a moment, then stood up, looking nervous and stiff.

"We'll be here when she rejects you," Breda said with a laugh, then laughed more when Brosh glared at him.

"Ignore him. You'll be fine," Falman said reassuringly.

Jean watched Brosh took a deep breath then approach Ross—who did look rather lovely tonght. It looked as though he was stuttering through what he was saying, but Ross just smiled—though it kind of looked like she was taking pity on him to Jean—nodded, then looked at her dance card and asked him a question, to which he looked relieved and nodded vigorously before holding his arm out for her to take as they headed out toward the dance floor.

"Good for him," Fuery said with a smile, then took a sip of his punch.

"Yeah..." Jean mumbled, then sighed and scanned the crowd. He picked out a few women who looked promising, then stood up and decided to try his luck again.

* * *

Kain Fuery watched Havoc go, silently wishing him luck. He personally didn't have that kind of drive. Sure, he'd _like_ to dance with someone, but after the first few years of being turned down all night at functions such as these, Kain had decided to just come and enjoy himself with his buddies instead of thinking about women. He supposed he was just too much of a geek for most women. That didn't bother him most of the time, but every once in a while he did feel a little bit of wistfulness over what he didn't have.

"I'll bet you five hundred cens that he can't find five women to dance with him tonight," Breda said jovially.

"Not a chance," Falman said.

Kain laughed and shook his head. "No way. That's like throwing my money away."

* * *

Sheska was breathless by the time they left the dance floor. She'd expected they would leave the dance floor after the first song, but Ed had surprised her by boldly asking for a second dance, and then a third. She didn't have any one else lined up—in fact, she'd planned on leaving before this—so she'd accepted.

"That was so fun!" she said, feeling delighted.

"Yeah!" Ed agreed with a wide grin. His eyes looked bright and his cheeks were flushed. "That was awesome. We need to dance again sometime." Sheska blushed, feeling pleased by his enthusiasm. Ed looked around, then grabbed her hand and started back toward the tables. "I see Breda, Falman, and Fuery. Let's go say hi."

Sheska knew the three by name and face, but didn't really _know_ them all that well. She would have protested, saying that she didn't want to intrude, but Ed was gripping her hand tightly and they were maneuvering around people too quickly for her to object.

"Hey!" Ed said exuberantly as they reached the table.

There were greetings all around, then Ed pulled Sheska forward. "This is Sheska. You all know her, right?"

"In passing, but let's introduce ourselves again," Falman said, standing and holding his hand out for Sheska to take. "I'm Vato Falman," he said politely.

"Heymans Breda," Breda said with a nod, not bothering to stand.

"I'm Kain Fuery," Kain said, taking her hand and smiling at her. He held on a little longer than she expected and felt her face heat a little at the extra attention.

"We saw you cutting a rug out there," Breda said around a bite of food.

"Oh yeah, it was a blast," Ed exclaimed. "Aren't you guys gonna dance?" When they all shook their heads, Ed asked, "Why not?" Then, not waiting for an answer, he turned to Sheska and asked, "Who are you going to dance with next?"

"Oh... well, I..." she stuttered, caught a little off guard by the sudden question. "I hadn't really planned on..."

Glancing back at the men at the table, Ed said, "You aren't going to just let her be danceless are you?"

They all looked at him in amusement, then Breda laughed and asked, "Have you been hittin' the sauce?"

"Huh?" Ed asked in confusion, then looked at Fuery. "You're not dancing. Take her out to dance." It came out more as a command than a suggestion, and Sheska was about to protest—she didn't want anyone to be forced into dancing with her—when Fuery stood up, his cheeks a little red, and held his hand out to her.

"I _would_ like to dance with you, if you're interested..."

"Well, I..." Her face heated even more, but she smiled and took his hand. "I'd love to." She glanced at Ed, who gave her two thumbs up, then let herself be led out to the dance floor."

* * *

Ed flopped down in a chair and grinned widely. That had been so much fun. He couldn't believe he'd been so worried about dancing before. Right now he felt really good. His whole body just felt _good_, and he wanted to ask someone else to dance.

"Oh man, there he is," Ed heard Breda say in amusement.

Ed glanced at him and saw that he and Falman were looking off somewhere, so he followed their gaze, not quite sure who they were looking at. Then he saw Mustang walking into the ballroom from one of the doors that led out into the gardens. He straightened his tie, then smoothed back his hair as he looked around.

"Do you think he got lucky out there?" Falman asked.

"I doubt it. They probably just had a little fun in the shadows, but nothing too scandalous," Breda answered.

Ed shrugged mentally to himself, not really sure what they were going on about, and not caring either. He wasn't really interested in Mustang. He was more concerned about finding another dance partner. He saw a few other people he knew, then his eyes rested on Hawkeye and he smiled to himself. She had a blue cord, and she wasn't dancing with anyone right now. Standing up, Ed straightened his jacket and started toward her. He was ready for another dance and felt all the confidence in the world that Hawkeye would say yes.

* * *

Alrighty, here's part two. I hope you enjoyed it. The final part will be posted on the 31st.

--

**Comments are always welcome.**


	3. All's Well that Ends Well

-

**Military Ball**

**3/3**

**All's Well that Ends Well**

-

Roy glanced around as he ran his fingers through his hair and straightening his jacket. He wouldn't have minded staying outside longer with the young, black-haired beauty, but it just wouldn't have been good to spend too much time with her. He'd been sure to spend enough time with her that it would promote his playboy image, though the fact that she'd seemed completely smitten with him had definitely made the last fifteen minutes extremely enjoyable. Not as enjoyable as he hoped it seemed by watching him come in.

There was no doubt in Roy's mind that the girl would have let him do whatever he wanted with her; and by the way she'd been coming onto him, it had been extremely difficult to resist the temptation he'd felt. But he was just a little too refined to have sex in the bushes at a formal military function with someone he didn't know. He could have made out with her and felt her up at the very least, but that was just asking for trouble. For all he knew she could be the daughter of someone important, and _that_ would not do at all.

So, in the end, they'd walked around the garden, her arm through his, and talked. The girl had seemed disappointed when he'd suggested they return to the party, but she'd taken it with good grace and had said that she would like to stay out in the garden for a little bit longer, but that he should go on ahead.

Before returning to the ballroom, Roy had messed up his hair and jacket a little so that he could fix them upon returning to the ballroom. Nothing had happened, but that didn't mean Roy didn't want people to _think_ that something had.

Glancing around the room, Roy took note of where the important people were, who he'd already talked to, who he hadn't talked to, and who he most definitely wanted to talk to. Fine liquor and women were good, but he didn't like letting functions like this go by without socializing with the people who could help his career.

Roy's eyes fell on Hawkeye and he watched her for a moment, thinking how lovely she looked dressed up and how he'd really like to get a dance with her before the end of the night. He watched as Ed walked up to her and said something with a grin. No. Not 'walked' up to her. More like... _strutted_. Whatever Ed had said made her smile and she said something in return.

He watched them talk for a moment, then decided that he'd 'rescue' her from Ed and see if she wanted to dance. But Roy didn't get more than two steps before he stopped, staring in disbelief at Ed putting his arm out and Hawkeye taking it before they started toward the dance floor.

Roy blinked. She was going to dance with Ed_?_ Of all people... _Ed?_ But, sure enough, as he watched, they stepped out onto the dance floor, waited for the music to begin, then began dancing. Roy wasn't sure whether to laugh at how ridiculous it looked, or feel a little sullen that Edward Elric had gotten to dance with her before him.

His disappointment was short lived as he caught sight of Olivia Armstrong talking with her brother Alex. With one last look at Hawkeye and Ed, Roy walked swiftly across the room to the Armstrong siblings, putting on one of his best smiles as he drew close.

Alex spotted him and his eyes light up and a smile blossomed on his face as he boomed a cheerful, "Roy Mustang!"

Olivia turned and a sour look crossed her face. "Oh it's you," she said blandly.

"Major Armstrong," Roy said, taking Alex's hand and shaking it, then turned. "General Armstrong." She stuck out her hand in a gesture that was obviously meant for a handshake. Making sure the note he wanted to relay was in hand, Roy took her hand, bowed a little, and kissed it softly. "It's always a pleasure to see you." Pulling her hand away, and the note with it, she wiped it on her dress and deftly slipped the note into an almost invisible pocket.

"Next time a salute will be fine," she said reproachfully.

Roy grinned, then glanced down at the cord around her wrist. "Surely that can't possibly be a green cord I'm seeing. Not on such a lovely flower as yourself."

"We tried to talk her out of it," Alex said with deep solemnity. "After all, the Armstrong family's dancing technique has been passed dow—"

"Alex. Shut up," Olivia said briskly, then looked at Roy. "Even if I had a red cord, there would be no room on my dance card for you."

Roy held a hand to his heart and said, "You wound me with your callous words."

"If I had my sword on me, I'd wound you with that instead," Olivia said without sympathy.

Laughing, Roy dropped his hand and nodded. "I suppose I will have to be satisfied by merely being in your presence."

She glared at him and said, "Your tongue isn't as silver as you think it is, Colonel. Go away before I pull it out of your head."

"As you wish, my lady," Roy said, bowing smoothly. He'd delivered the note, and there would be more planning to take care of in coming weeks, but for now this was enough. With a grin, Roy turned and started toward a Colonel he'd been meaning to speak with.

* * *

Jean returned from the dance floor feeling triumphant. Not only had he gotten a dance, but he'd also gotten a phone number as well. It looks like tonight may be his lucky night! He walked swiftly to the table his co-workers were sitting at, plopped down in a chair, and held the slip of paper up for them to see.

"See this? Eh?" he gloated.

"Well, aren't you just something special?" Breda asked, looking amused.

"You'd better believe it," Jean said smugly. He tucked the paper in his pocket. "This could be my future."

"Or it could be a wrong number," Breda said, giving a low burp.

"_Or_ it could be my future," Jean insisted, then glanced around. "Where's Fuery?"

"Dancing," Falman put in, then nodded to the dance floor.

Jean turned. It took a moment, but he finally saw who he was looking for. Turning back he said in surprise, "With the bookworm?"

"With the bookworm," Falman confirmed.

"How'd he land that?"

"Ed; believe it or not," Breda said.

And it was then that Jean remembered he hadn't had a chance to tell Ed that he'd mixed up which bowls of punch had the alcohol in them. Standing up, Jean looked around, hoping to see Ed.

"Speaking of Ed..." Jean began. "You know where I might find him?"

"Nope. He just wandered off without saying anything," Breda said, then asked suspiciously, "Why?"

"Uh... no reason," Jean said, looking around again. "I think I'm going to go find someone else to dance with," he lied. Enough time had gone by that he was sure Ed would want something to drink soon, and Jean didn't want to be held responsible for a drunk Fullmetal Alchemist.

* * *

Envy walked into the ballroom feeling a little disgruntled. Given the flame colonel's reputation, he should have responded better to Envy's advances, but they'd only walked around for a while talking about nothing of importance. Envy didn't really care for sex with humans, but there had been times when having an intimate relationship with one had been beneficial.

Sex with the Flame Alchemist could definitely have given him some very interesting opportunities to manipulate him in the future. Even getting a promise for another meeting or date could have been useful, but he'd had no such luck.

Envy looked at himself in one of the long mirrors on the wall, and studied the form of the beautiful young woman he'd chosen. Had there been something wrong with his appearance? No, he didn't think so. So what had gone wrong?

Shaking his head, Envy turned away from the mirror. He'd think about all of that later. For now he had another sacrifice to make contact with. And with that, he scanned the crowd for the Fullmetal shrimp. He started walking in toward the dance floor as the song ended and some people made their way off the dance floor and others walked toward it for the next dance. Then suddenly, on the other side of the dance floor, Envy saw the shrimp leaving the dance floor with a blonde woman at his side.

Envy was about to start walking around to the other side when the band began to play, though this time it wasn't a dance song, but one of introduction. Turning toward the stage, along with everyone else, Envy saw Wrath approach the microphone with his guards in tow.

_Lousy timing_, Envy thought in annoyance as Wrath began to make some sort of speech about how wonderful it was that they could all be gathered together in celebration of the ending of the year and the bringing forth of a new one.

_Blah blah blah,_ Envy thought. He'd have to wait until the speech was done before he could move through the crowd again without bringing notice to himself.

* * *

Ed moved easily through the crowd toward the refreshment table. He wasn't interested in the fuhrer's lame speech. What he wanted now was food and something to drink. He saw Colonel Mustang standing by some other colonel Ed didn't know well, and moved behind some people so that he could easily avoid being seen by him. Not that he really thought Mustang would see him anyway since he was watching the fuhrer, but he didn't want to chance having to talk with Mustang.

Reaching the refreshment table, Ed ate a few things directly from the serving plates as he walked toward the punch bowl, got himself a cup of punch, then began eating more of the food in between drinking the punch. He refilled the punch cup another time, downed it, then once more.

Halfway through his third cup of punch, Fuhrer Bradley _finally_ shut up, and the music resumed. He finished the punch, then looked around to see if there was anyone else he knew that he'd want to dance with. He was pleased to see that Sheska and Fuery were still dancing, and it was fun to watch Maes Hughes dancing with his wife. Ed saw Sergeant Brosh and Lieutenant Ross dancing, and a few other people he knew, but—"

"Hello..." Ed blinked and turned to see a girl a girl standing next to him. She was wearing a pale green dress and had long, black hair in ringlets. Her skin was pale and she was quite pretty.

"Uh, hi," he said, not really sure why she was talking to him.

"I was watching you dance," the girl said shyly. "You dance really well."

"I do?" he asked, then grinned. "Yeah, of course I do! You wanna dance?" Ed asked without thinking. It was just crazy because he didn't think he'd normally ask someone he didn't know to dance, but he just felt so spontaneous at the moment and it all just felt right.

The girl blushed and looked down. "I'd really like that."

* * *

Excusing himself from the conversation with the colonel, Roy checked his watch and looked around. He had another scheduled dance in about a half hour, that gave him plenty of time to either talk with more notable people or perhaps find Lieutenant Hawkeye and secure a spot on her dance card.

The party was in full force now and it wasn't nearly as easy to pick people out of the crowd, so he began making his way through the throng slowly and looking around. Roy saw many of his subordinates; even saw Ed dancing with the young lady who had been so insistent in the garden.

Roy frowned, wondering if he should have taken the time to explain certain things that a gentleman does not do at military balls, then brushed the thought aside. It was too late now to explain how not to ruin one's reputation at such functions and how to insure there would be no surprise additions to the Elric line come next September.

After another few minutes of searching, Roy set his eyes on his target. Feeling determined not to let anything else get in the way of his desired dance, Roy headed straight for Hawkeye, mentally rehearsing what he wanted to say.

* * *

Ed whirled the girl around, then stumbled slightly. He was definitely starting to feel out of sorts now. He still felt good and confident, but his balance and brain processing power seemed to have called it a night early and gone home.

The girl laughed as she finished spinning and grabbed onto him, pressing her body against his. She moved her hips in such a way that Ed gasped a little with the unexpected stimulation.

"After this dance, would you like to go out to the garden with me?" she asked in a tone that made Ed's cheeks heat.

"Um... sure..." he said, grinning stupidly. Somewhere in the back of his mind he thought that going out to the garden with her was a very _bad_ idea, but he couldn't deny that his body was craving what she seemed to be implying she'd give it. Ed laughed, finding this whole situation a little unreal as he stared down at her and studied her features closely. With the black hair and the pale skin, the girl kind of reminded him of a...

"Homunculus," Ed said out loud without thinking. To that, the girl froze and looked at him with a disbelieving and suddenly much more calculating gaze.

"What did you say?" she asked a little dangerously.

"You look like you could be a homunculus," Ed said, not even sure why he was talking about this when they should be dancing.

The girl stared at him a moment longer, then said, "And what if I was a homunculus?"

"Then we'd have to fight instead of dance," Ed said. "And you'd lose, 'cause I'm an even better fighter than dancer." Ed laughed again, thinking how ridiculous this whole conversation was. It really wasn't funny at all, but at the moment it just seemed hilarious. "But most of the homunculus I've seen are pretty ugly, so I guess you're not one," he added.

Ed wasn't sure why he didn't see the slap coming, because he was usually so quickly on his feet, but he didn't notice until it was too late, and her hand smacked hard against his face, making him stagger back in confusion and pain.

"What did you do that for?" he asked, touching his aching cheek gingerly.

"Maybe it's you humans who are the ugly ones," the girl spat back angrily.

When what she said registered, Ed changed his stance to a fighting one. "Who are you?" he asked wearily.

"You mean you don't recognize me, Fullmetal Shorty?" the girl asked condescendingly.

"Envy..." Ed hissed as his brain finally put everything together.

"In the flesh," the girl shot back, and Ed watched as the girl's form began to change to one that he'd seen more times than he ever wanted to.

* * *

With a smile, Roy stepped up to Hawkeye. "How have you been enjoying the ball?" he asked curiously, wanting to ease into his request.

"More than I'd thought I would," she answered, glancing at him with a return smile. "I usually don't care for these types of functions, but tonight as been fun. What about you?"

"I've enjoyed it as much as I usually do," he replied. "Although, I think what would make it better would be for—"

But he didn't have a chance to finish because at that moment there were several screams and shouts from the dance floor. Roy turned and began looking around, trying to see if he could tell what was causing the commotion.

Roy frowned as the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck stood up. There was a static electricity to the air. Something he could almost hear crackling, and then there was a loud 'boom' and the walls and ceiling shuttered. Cracks ran up the finely painted walls, and plaster and dust began to rain down from the ceiling. There were more screams and a frenzied rush toward the exits.

* * *

Ed paused and frowned deeply. His hands were pressed to the floor, but what he'd wanted to happen and what had actually happened had been two different things. It was as if he couldn't get a firm hold on the alchemy to make it do what he wanted to do. He lifted his hands and stared at them blankly, not sure what was going on.

"What's the matter, Shorty?" Envy taunted over the sounds of people yelling and fleeing. "Had too much to drink tonight?" Ed blinked, not sure what that had to do with anything. Punch was punch.

"Shut up," he growled, clapping his hands together and slapping them against the floor again. He'd do it right this time.

* * *

Roy hurried toward where the main source of commotion seemed to be coming from, Hawkeye on his heels, when a second boom sounded. The quaking could be felt under his feet before the ground began to break up. The chandlers swung crazily from the ceiling and the sound of musical instruments playing out discordant notes as they fell over accompanied the panic.

Now that the room was almost cleared out, Roy could easily see what was going on and wasn't sure if he should feel surprised or not that Edward Elric was in the center of the commotion.

He watched as Ed staggered to his feet, then stumbled. His opponent, the homunculus called Envy, advanced quickly and planted a heavy kick to Ed's torso, then was about to kick at Ed's head when he flinched and moved off course at the same time that gunshots filled the air. Roy looked over to see Hawkeye on one knee, aiming steadily. Beyond her, he could also see Jean Havoc in the same position, also holding his own gun.

Reaching into his jacket pocket, Roy pulled out his gloves and started to pull them on, but just then the lights flickered and went out for a brief moment. When they came back on, there was no sign of the homunculus. He looked around the ruined ballroom wearily, expecting an attack from another angle, but there was nothing but silence. And then a loud burp broke the tension and Roy looked over to see Breda sitting at one of the tables, licking his fingers.

"Thanks for coming to help out," Havoc called in annoyance.

"You guys had it," Breda called back, but he stood up anyway and patted his stomach before starting toward them.

With a shake of his head and a heavy sigh, Roy looked at Hawkeye who was standing now. The gun she'd had moments before was gone. He looked her up and down, examining how the dress she wore clung to her body, then asked in amazement, "Where'd you hide it?"

Hawkeye gave him a secretive smile, "There are some things you just don't ask ladies." Shaking his head, Roy walked over to Ed who was lying on his back staring up at the ceiling. Kneeling down, Roy looked him over for any serious injuries.

"I'm fine," Ed said, putting a hand to his stomach. "Just... kinda dizzy and stuff."

Roy caught the smell on Ed's breath and scowled. "And drunk," he said disapprovingly.

"Nope," Ed said with a lopsided smile. "The soft punch is in the jaded bowl, and the hard punch is in the smooth bowl." Roy frowned and was about to correct him when the sound of Breda laughing cut him off.

"I wonder who told him _that_?" Breda said knowingly, looking at Havoc. A guilty look spread over Havoc's face and he knelt down on the other side of Ed.

"I'll take care of him, boss," Havoc said sheepishly.

Roy sighed wearily, sure there was a story behind all of this, but not sure he wanted to know. He waved a hand as if to say, 'He's all yours,' then stood up and shook his head in disbelief at the destruction around them. The walls and ceiling were cracked, with plaster flaking off and gathering on the floor. Tables and chairs were overturned, the windows had shattered, the refreshment table had been knocked over and the food was spilled out all over the floor.

As Ed's commanding officer, Roy would be responsible for making sure Ed fixed everything as well as dealing out some sort of punishment. And, of course, he'd never hear the end of how he couldn't keep his subordinates in line at military functions, even though it hadn't been _Roy's_ idea to let Ed come at all. He gave another sigh as he watched Breda and Havoc help Ed out, then looked back at Hawkeye.

"I take back everything I said about tonight," he said.

"We'll all laugh about this in five years," Hawkeye said sympathetically.

"I don't think some people are going to wait five years to laugh about this," Roy said dryly, then looked at her with a wry smile. "I never did get a spot on your dance card."

Hawkeye smiled back. "I'm still here," she said in a practical tone.

Roy just looked at her for a moment, then to the ruined instruments and dance floor. Shaking his head, Roy glanced back at her put his hand against his chest and bowed formally.

"May I have this dance, Miss Hawkeye?"

"I would be honored, Mister Mustang," she replied demurely, then held out her hand.

Standing straight, Roy slipped an arm around her waist, pressing one hand to her back, then took her hand with his other hand. Pressing his lips together he began to hum a tune as he led her over the broken dance floor in the last dance the hall would see that year.

**- end -**

* * *

And that's it! I hope you all enjoyed and I wish you all a happy new year.

--

**Comments are always welcome.**


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